Robeck Note: Of the areas in STEM education, mathematics is the one for which a coherent definition is most difficult to find. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has published its Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000), which provides extensive descriptions of mathematics in terms of content and processes. It does not, however, provide a single coherent consensus definition. The implication is that to understand the role of mathematics in STEM education, one must become aware of the meanings associated with the different content and process dimensions of mathematics. An excerpt from the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics is given below. To access the NCTM document, you must be a member of NCTM or sign up for a free 120 day trial (http://www.nctm.org/standards/content.aspx?id=16909).
Standards for School Mathematics: Prekindergarten through Grade 12
What mathematical content and processes should students know and be able to use as they progress through school? Principles and Standards for School Mathematics presents NCTM's proposal for what should be valued in school mathematics education. Ambitious standards are required to achieve a society that has the capability to think and reason mathematically and a useful base of mathematical knowledge and skills.
The ten Standards presented in this chapter describe a connected body of mathematical understandings and competencies—a comprehensive foundation recommended for all students, rather than a menu from which to make curricular choices. Standards are descriptions of what mathematics instruction should enable students to know and do. They specify the understanding, knowledge, and skills that students should acquire from prekindergarten through grade 12. The Content Standards—Number and Operations, Algebra, Geometry, Measurement, and Data Analysis and Probability—explicitly describe the content that students should learn. The Process Standards—Problem Solving, Reasoning and Proof, Communication, Connections, and Representation—highlight ways of acquiring and using content knowledge. (p. 30)
Additional readings and information can be found at the following links.
INTERACTIONS OF TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND APPLICATIONS OF SCIENCE
Chapter 8 of A Framework for K-12 Science Educationhttp://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=13165&page=143
STEM in Maryland
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/stem/stem_importantBASIC DEFINITIONS
http://www.iteaconnect.org/Resources/PressRoom/STEMDefinition.pdfSCIENCE
Understanding Science
http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/whatisscience_01See especially the "Science Checklist": http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/0_0_0/whatisscience_03
A Framework for K-12 Science Education
http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=13165&page=R1National Science Education Standards
See the definition of "Scientific Literacy"http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=4962&page=22
TECHNOLOGY
ITEA Standards (International Technology Education Association)
http://www.iteaconnect.org/TAA/PDFs/xstnd.pdfSee especially p. 2 for a definition of "technology", and Chapter 3 "The Nature of Technology"
ENGINEERING
Engineering in K-12 Education (National Academy of Engineering)
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12635#tocSee Chapter 2, "What is Engineering?"
http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12635&page=27
Advancing the “E” in K-12 STEM Education
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JOTS/v36/v36n1/rockland.htmlMATHEMATICS
Robeck Note: Of the areas in STEM education, mathematics is the one for which a coherent definition is most difficult to find. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has published its Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000), which provides extensive descriptions of mathematics in terms of content and processes. It does not, however, provide a single coherent consensus definition. The implication is that to understand the role of mathematics in STEM education, one must become aware of the meanings associated with the different content and process dimensions of mathematics. An excerpt from the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics is given below. To access the NCTM document, you must be a member of NCTM or sign up for a free 120 day trial (http://www.nctm.org/standards/content.aspx?id=16909).Standards for School Mathematics: Prekindergarten through Grade 12
What mathematical content and processes should students know and be able to use as they progress through school? Principles and Standards for School Mathematics presents NCTM's proposal for what should be valued in school mathematics education. Ambitious standards are required to achieve a society that has the capability to think and reason mathematically and a useful base of mathematical knowledge and skills.
The ten Standards presented in this chapter describe a connected body of mathematical understandings and competencies—a comprehensive foundation recommended for all students, rather than a menu from which to make curricular choices. Standards are descriptions of what mathematics instruction should enable students to know and do. They specify the understanding, knowledge, and skills that students should acquire from prekindergarten through grade 12. The Content Standards—Number and Operations, Algebra, Geometry, Measurement, and Data Analysis and Probability—explicitly describe the content that students should learn. The Process Standards—Problem Solving, Reasoning and Proof, Communication, Connections, and Representation—highlight ways of acquiring and using content knowledge. (p. 30)